"[overturning Row is] a victory that will almost certainly come at a cost. In Republican circles, a consensus has been forming for weeks that the court’s overturning of a significant — and highly popular — precedent on a deeply felt issue will be a liability for the party in the midterms and beyond, undercutting Republicans to at least some degree with moderates and suburban women."
NYT ($) - Kavanaugh Gave Private Assurances. Collins Says He ‘Misled’ Her. “I am a don’t-rock-the-boat kind of judge,” the justice told the senator in a discussion on Roe, according to notes from a meeting before his confirmation.
During a two-hour meeting in her Senate office with the Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh on Aug. 21, 2018, Senator Susan Collins of Maine pressed him hard on why she should trust him not to overturn Roe v. Wade if she backed his confirmation.
Judge Kavanaugh worked vigorously to reassure her that he was no threat to the landmark abortion rights ruling.
“Start with my record, my respect for precedent, my belief that it is rooted in the Constitution, and my commitment and its importance to the rule of law,” he said, according to contemporaneous notes kept by multiple staff members in the meeting. “I understand precedent and I understand the importance of overturning it.”
SSI - Personally no great fan of Sen. Collins. Do believe she is NOT a habitual liar, however.
In that respect, quite unlike Justice Brent "Sex on the Beach" Kavanaugh.
What a parcel of rogues on the SCOTUS!
I watched the hearings on that guy and could not believe he was being considered for a big important job requiring intellect and maturity.
Was he chosen solely for his hackneyed right wing politics and pliability?
It was rather weird to see those opposed to his nomination obsessed by how he behaved as a student a quarter of a century earlier, rather than on his view of law, precedent, and recent judgements.
For quite good reasons we rarely think about the amazingly high quality of the UK judiciary. This is on public display daily on the excellent
NYT ($) - Kavanaugh Gave Private Assurances. Collins Says He ‘Misled’ Her. “I am a don’t-rock-the-boat kind of judge,” the justice told the senator in a discussion on Roe, according to notes from a meeting before his confirmation.
During a two-hour meeting in her Senate office with the Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh on Aug. 21, 2018, Senator Susan Collins of Maine pressed him hard on why she should trust him not to overturn Roe v. Wade if she backed his confirmation.
Judge Kavanaugh worked vigorously to reassure her that he was no threat to the landmark abortion rights ruling.
“Start with my record, my respect for precedent, my belief that it is rooted in the Constitution, and my commitment and its importance to the rule of law,” he said, according to contemporaneous notes kept by multiple staff members in the meeting. “I understand precedent and I understand the importance of overturning it.”
SSI - Personally no great fan of Sen. Collins. Do believe she is NOT a habitual liar, however.
In that respect, quite unlike Justice Brent "Sex on the Beach" Kavanaugh.
What a parcel of rogues on the SCOTUS!
I watched the hearings on that guy and could not believe he was being considered for a big important job requiring intellect and maturity.
Was he chosen solely for his hackneyed right wing politics and pliability?
Try a wild guess.
I know. But you don't like to think that, esp with him probably being there for 30 years. What a mess.
NYT ($) - Kavanaugh Gave Private Assurances. Collins Says He ‘Misled’ Her. “I am a don’t-rock-the-boat kind of judge,” the justice told the senator in a discussion on Roe, according to notes from a meeting before his confirmation.
During a two-hour meeting in her Senate office with the Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh on Aug. 21, 2018, Senator Susan Collins of Maine pressed him hard on why she should trust him not to overturn Roe v. Wade if she backed his confirmation.
Judge Kavanaugh worked vigorously to reassure her that he was no threat to the landmark abortion rights ruling.
“Start with my record, my respect for precedent, my belief that it is rooted in the Constitution, and my commitment and its importance to the rule of law,” he said, according to contemporaneous notes kept by multiple staff members in the meeting. “I understand precedent and I understand the importance of overturning it.”
SSI - Personally no great fan of Sen. Collins. Do believe she is NOT a habitual liar, however.
In that respect, quite unlike Justice Brent "Sex on the Beach" Kavanaugh.
What a parcel of rogues on the SCOTUS!
I watched the hearings on that guy and could not believe he was being considered for a big important job requiring intellect and maturity.
Was he chosen solely for his hackneyed right wing politics and pliability?
From memory it started off as a standard Trumpian own-the-libs ploy and became almost immediately a massive must-win battle in the culture war.
Helped in no small measure by all the bullshit claims that were thrown at him by the left in the desperate hope that something would stick...
NYT ($) - Kavanaugh Gave Private Assurances. Collins Says He ‘Misled’ Her. “I am a don’t-rock-the-boat kind of judge,” the justice told the senator in a discussion on Roe, according to notes from a meeting before his confirmation.
During a two-hour meeting in her Senate office with the Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh on Aug. 21, 2018, Senator Susan Collins of Maine pressed him hard on why she should trust him not to overturn Roe v. Wade if she backed his confirmation.
Judge Kavanaugh worked vigorously to reassure her that he was no threat to the landmark abortion rights ruling.
“Start with my record, my respect for precedent, my belief that it is rooted in the Constitution, and my commitment and its importance to the rule of law,” he said, according to contemporaneous notes kept by multiple staff members in the meeting. “I understand precedent and I understand the importance of overturning it.”
SSI - Personally no great fan of Sen. Collins. Do believe she is NOT a habitual liar, however.
In that respect, quite unlike Justice Brent "Sex on the Beach" Kavanaugh.
What a parcel of rogues on the SCOTUS!
I watched the hearings on that guy and could not believe he was being considered for a big important job requiring intellect and maturity.
Was he chosen solely for his hackneyed right wing politics and pliability?
From memory it started off as a standard Trumpian own-the-libs ploy and became almost immediately a massive must-win battle in the culture war.
Helped in no small measure by all the bullshit claims that were thrown at him by the left in the desperate hope that something would stick...
ISTR the main concern on the left was he would look to overturn Roe v Wade.
Regardless of your politics, I would point out he has just done so.
Which means the claims were, in fact, not bullshit.
NYT ($) - Kavanaugh Gave Private Assurances. Collins Says He ‘Misled’ Her. “I am a don’t-rock-the-boat kind of judge,” the justice told the senator in a discussion on Roe, according to notes from a meeting before his confirmation.
During a two-hour meeting in her Senate office with the Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh on Aug. 21, 2018, Senator Susan Collins of Maine pressed him hard on why she should trust him not to overturn Roe v. Wade if she backed his confirmation.
Judge Kavanaugh worked vigorously to reassure her that he was no threat to the landmark abortion rights ruling.
“Start with my record, my respect for precedent, my belief that it is rooted in the Constitution, and my commitment and its importance to the rule of law,” he said, according to contemporaneous notes kept by multiple staff members in the meeting. “I understand precedent and I understand the importance of overturning it.”
SSI - Personally no great fan of Sen. Collins. Do believe she is NOT a habitual liar, however.
In that respect, quite unlike Justice Brent "Sex on the Beach" Kavanaugh.
What a parcel of rogues on the SCOTUS!
I watched the hearings on that guy and could not believe he was being considered for a big important job requiring intellect and maturity.
Was he chosen solely for his hackneyed right wing politics and pliability?
It was rather weird to see those opposed to his nomination obsessed by how he behaved as a student a quarter of a century earlier, rather than on his view of law, precedent, and recent judgements.
For quite good reasons we rarely think about the amazingly high quality of the UK judiciary. This is on public display daily on the excellent
NYT ($) - Kavanaugh Gave Private Assurances. Collins Says He ‘Misled’ Her. “I am a don’t-rock-the-boat kind of judge,” the justice told the senator in a discussion on Roe, according to notes from a meeting before his confirmation.
During a two-hour meeting in her Senate office with the Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh on Aug. 21, 2018, Senator Susan Collins of Maine pressed him hard on why she should trust him not to overturn Roe v. Wade if she backed his confirmation.
Judge Kavanaugh worked vigorously to reassure her that he was no threat to the landmark abortion rights ruling.
“Start with my record, my respect for precedent, my belief that it is rooted in the Constitution, and my commitment and its importance to the rule of law,” he said, according to contemporaneous notes kept by multiple staff members in the meeting. “I understand precedent and I understand the importance of overturning it.”
SSI - Personally no great fan of Sen. Collins. Do believe she is NOT a habitual liar, however.
In that respect, quite unlike Justice Brent "Sex on the Beach" Kavanaugh.
What a parcel of rogues on the SCOTUS!
I watched the hearings on that guy and could not believe he was being considered for a big important job requiring intellect and maturity.
Was he chosen solely for his hackneyed right wing politics and pliability?
It was rather weird to see those opposed to his nomination obsessed by how he behaved as a student a quarter of a century earlier, rather than on his view of law, precedent, and recent judgements.
For quite good reasons we rarely think about the amazingly high quality of the UK judiciary. This is on public display daily on the excellent
Fckn hell, just listening to Any Questions from Lerwick, the SNP panel member stuck in Inverness due to to a cancelled flight is utterly, and I mean utterly, inaudilble. You'd think after 2 two and a half years of Covid that a world beating broadcasting company would have sorted out distance contributions.
A truly embarrassing performance. Made worse by the fact that in the week of T and H and being in Shetland the BBC could not find a Lib Dem panel member.
A fair point, particularly in a Shetland setting. I thought Jen Stout was a pretty good voice of reason.
Do you know why she lives in Moscow? To follow up on my previous point there were Con and Lab panel members even though they go 3.59% and 1.29% in the Shetland by-election in 2019 (The Lib Dems got 47.86%).
By her own account Stout has loved Russia and its culture since a teenager, and as a freelance journalist went to live in Moscow at the end of last year - bad timing! This tells the story pretty well.
NYT ($) - Kavanaugh Gave Private Assurances. Collins Says He ‘Misled’ Her. “I am a don’t-rock-the-boat kind of judge,” the justice told the senator in a discussion on Roe, according to notes from a meeting before his confirmation.
During a two-hour meeting in her Senate office with the Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh on Aug. 21, 2018, Senator Susan Collins of Maine pressed him hard on why she should trust him not to overturn Roe v. Wade if she backed his confirmation.
Judge Kavanaugh worked vigorously to reassure her that he was no threat to the landmark abortion rights ruling.
“Start with my record, my respect for precedent, my belief that it is rooted in the Constitution, and my commitment and its importance to the rule of law,” he said, according to contemporaneous notes kept by multiple staff members in the meeting. “I understand precedent and I understand the importance of overturning it.”
SSI - Personally no great fan of Sen. Collins. Do believe she is NOT a habitual liar, however.
In that respect, quite unlike Justice Brent "Sex on the Beach" Kavanaugh.
What a parcel of rogues on the SCOTUS!
I watched the hearings on that guy and could not believe he was being considered for a big important job requiring intellect and maturity.
Was he chosen solely for his hackneyed right wing politics and pliability?
From memory it started off as a standard Trumpian own-the-libs ploy and became almost immediately a massive must-win battle in the culture war.
Helped in no small measure by all the bullshit claims that were thrown at him by the left in the desperate hope that something would stick...
ISTR the main concern on the left was he would look to overturn Roe v Wade.
Regardless of your politics, I would point out he has just done so.
Which means the claims were, in fact, not bullshit.
The main concern was the "sexual assault" claims from when he was a student. Or, at least, that's how it looked.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
"[overturning Row is] a victory that will almost certainly come at a cost. In Republican circles, a consensus has been forming for weeks that the court’s overturning of a significant — and highly popular — precedent on a deeply felt issue will be a liability for the party in the midterms and beyond, undercutting Republicans to at least some degree with moderates and suburban women."
That's pure "centerist-punditbrain" analysis backed by nothing.
The GOP have just delivered on a 40 year campaign. This has been a multi-generational effort to get here. They are the winning team. American voters love winners - they have utterly invigorated their base who now see the clear prizes of rolling back LGBT rights and other things within their grasp.
Conservative backbencher: “They are going bloody mental on the WhatsApp group. We didn’t think for one moment that we were going to lose [Tiverton & Honiton]. Voters are lying on the doorstep, like they did in 1997.” https://apple.news/A0HSg-LVZRjCWvulI-qPfHQ
At least in 1997 the PM didn't lie to you.
Apart from about his affair with Edwina Currie, of course.
Do you mind? Some of us are having lunch.
Scrambled eggs?
Curried eggs was the plat, or rather mot, du jour at the time, as I recall.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
NYT ($) - Kavanaugh Gave Private Assurances. Collins Says He ‘Misled’ Her. “I am a don’t-rock-the-boat kind of judge,” the justice told the senator in a discussion on Roe, according to notes from a meeting before his confirmation.
During a two-hour meeting in her Senate office with the Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh on Aug. 21, 2018, Senator Susan Collins of Maine pressed him hard on why she should trust him not to overturn Roe v. Wade if she backed his confirmation.
Judge Kavanaugh worked vigorously to reassure her that he was no threat to the landmark abortion rights ruling.
“Start with my record, my respect for precedent, my belief that it is rooted in the Constitution, and my commitment and its importance to the rule of law,” he said, according to contemporaneous notes kept by multiple staff members in the meeting. “I understand precedent and I understand the importance of overturning it.”
SSI - Personally no great fan of Sen. Collins. Do believe she is NOT a habitual liar, however.
In that respect, quite unlike Justice Brent "Sex on the Beach" Kavanaugh.
What a parcel of rogues on the SCOTUS!
“I understand precedent and I understand the importance of overturning it” sounds like a statement of intent!
Point well taken. Didn't say Susan Collins is the brightest blub on the congressional Christmas tree.
As for Beachboy Brent, precisely the kind of prevarication you'd expect from a creep of his caliber.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
NYT ($) - Kavanaugh Gave Private Assurances. Collins Says He ‘Misled’ Her. “I am a don’t-rock-the-boat kind of judge,” the justice told the senator in a discussion on Roe, according to notes from a meeting before his confirmation.
During a two-hour meeting in her Senate office with the Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh on Aug. 21, 2018, Senator Susan Collins of Maine pressed him hard on why she should trust him not to overturn Roe v. Wade if she backed his confirmation.
Judge Kavanaugh worked vigorously to reassure her that he was no threat to the landmark abortion rights ruling.
“Start with my record, my respect for precedent, my belief that it is rooted in the Constitution, and my commitment and its importance to the rule of law,” he said, according to contemporaneous notes kept by multiple staff members in the meeting. “I understand precedent and I understand the importance of overturning it.”
SSI - Personally no great fan of Sen. Collins. Do believe she is NOT a habitual liar, however.
In that respect, quite unlike Justice Brent "Sex on the Beach" Kavanaugh.
What a parcel of rogues on the SCOTUS!
This is all horrendous. The whole point of being a judge is that though you bring to it your whole life and experience you don't come to public judgement on any litigable issue until you have heard all sides and considered all the arguments. Not rushing to judgement is exactly what judges are uniquely asked to do.
And lying IS what's expected from your ideal judge? Somehow doubt that.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
I doubt anyone here has questioned the US Presidential result.
Open invitation to all PBers to come out for the Greenwood Auto Show, right in front of my humble bode today here in beautiful, sunny (today anyway) and summery (ditto) Seattle!
Appears like were in for the first truly Summer day of the season. Plus the Auto Show, an annual event that is a BIG deal locally, was cancelled previous two years due to COVID.
So looking forward to (as Ed Sullivan used to say) a really big show today.
NOT a great fan of classic cars, or large crowds as a rule.
However, this is a exception for me. Because it's the one thing my hood does for the whole city, indeed region. Plus the people watching is even better than the car viewing, as the crowd is VERY diverse, a true melting pot. With all kinds of street food to match!
Looked it up and it's in an area called Crown Hill.
Your source is slightly flawed. Crown Hill is a separate neighborhood, just west of Greenwood hood.
Hence Greenwood Auto Show. Helps that all the cars are parked on Greenwood Ave N.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
GOP gerrymandering apologists love to say "What about Maryland??!?" in response to thr many many grotesque examples of Republican gerrymandering so I went and checked.
For the equivalent state body in Maryland the Dems got 99 out of 141 seats on 65% of the vote. So 70% of the seats on a winning margin of 33 points.
"[overturning Row is] a victory that will almost certainly come at a cost. In Republican circles, a consensus has been forming for weeks that the court’s overturning of a significant — and highly popular — precedent on a deeply felt issue will be a liability for the party in the midterms and beyond, undercutting Republicans to at least some degree with moderates and suburban women."
NYT ($) - Kavanaugh Gave Private Assurances. Collins Says He ‘Misled’ Her. “I am a don’t-rock-the-boat kind of judge,” the justice told the senator in a discussion on Roe, according to notes from a meeting before his confirmation.
During a two-hour meeting in her Senate office with the Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh on Aug. 21, 2018, Senator Susan Collins of Maine pressed him hard on why she should trust him not to overturn Roe v. Wade if she backed his confirmation.
Judge Kavanaugh worked vigorously to reassure her that he was no threat to the landmark abortion rights ruling.
“Start with my record, my respect for precedent, my belief that it is rooted in the Constitution, and my commitment and its importance to the rule of law,” he said, according to contemporaneous notes kept by multiple staff members in the meeting. “I understand precedent and I understand the importance of overturning it.”
SSI - Personally no great fan of Sen. Collins. Do believe she is NOT a habitual liar, however.
In that respect, quite unlike Justice Brent "Sex on the Beach" Kavanaugh.
What a parcel of rogues on the SCOTUS!
This is all horrendous. The whole point of being a judge is that though you bring to it your whole life and experience you don't come to public judgement on any litigable issue until you have heard all sides and considered all the arguments. Not rushing to judgement is exactly what judges are uniquely asked to do.
And lying IS what's expected from your ideal judge? Somehow doubt that.
If that is a serious question, No. Why on earth would anyone expect lying from a judge whether ideal or not?
NYT ($) - Kavanaugh Gave Private Assurances. Collins Says He ‘Misled’ Her. “I am a don’t-rock-the-boat kind of judge,” the justice told the senator in a discussion on Roe, according to notes from a meeting before his confirmation.
During a two-hour meeting in her Senate office with the Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh on Aug. 21, 2018, Senator Susan Collins of Maine pressed him hard on why she should trust him not to overturn Roe v. Wade if she backed his confirmation.
Judge Kavanaugh worked vigorously to reassure her that he was no threat to the landmark abortion rights ruling.
“Start with my record, my respect for precedent, my belief that it is rooted in the Constitution, and my commitment and its importance to the rule of law,” he said, according to contemporaneous notes kept by multiple staff members in the meeting. “I understand precedent and I understand the importance of overturning it.”
SSI - Personally no great fan of Sen. Collins. Do believe she is NOT a habitual liar, however.
In that respect, quite unlike Justice Brent "Sex on the Beach" Kavanaugh.
What a parcel of rogues on the SCOTUS!
I watched the hearings on that guy and could not believe he was being considered for a big important job requiring intellect and maturity.
Was he chosen solely for his hackneyed right wing politics and pliability?
It was rather weird to see those opposed to his nomination obsessed by how he behaved as a student a quarter of a century earlier, rather than on his view of law, precedent, and recent judgements.
For quite good reasons we rarely think about the amazingly high quality of the UK judiciary. This is on public display daily on the excellent
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
I doubt anyone here has questioned the US Presidential result.
Indeed. So America's a great democracy.
Until the republicans win something. Then its a banana republic.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
I doubt anyone here has questioned the US Presidential result.
Indeed. So America's a great democracy.
Until the republicans win something. Then its a banana republic.
NYT ($) - Kavanaugh Gave Private Assurances. Collins Says He ‘Misled’ Her. “I am a don’t-rock-the-boat kind of judge,” the justice told the senator in a discussion on Roe, according to notes from a meeting before his confirmation.
During a two-hour meeting in her Senate office with the Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh on Aug. 21, 2018, Senator Susan Collins of Maine pressed him hard on why she should trust him not to overturn Roe v. Wade if she backed his confirmation.
Judge Kavanaugh worked vigorously to reassure her that he was no threat to the landmark abortion rights ruling.
“Start with my record, my respect for precedent, my belief that it is rooted in the Constitution, and my commitment and its importance to the rule of law,” he said, according to contemporaneous notes kept by multiple staff members in the meeting. “I understand precedent and I understand the importance of overturning it.”
SSI - Personally no great fan of Sen. Collins. Do believe she is NOT a habitual liar, however.
In that respect, quite unlike Justice Brent "Sex on the Beach" Kavanaugh.
What a parcel of rogues on the SCOTUS!
I watched the hearings on that guy and could not believe he was being considered for a big important job requiring intellect and maturity.
Was he chosen solely for his hackneyed right wing politics and pliability?
Plus his evident willingness - indeed eagerness - to lie to US Senators to their face.
Like appointing Eddie Haskell to the Court . . . only worse.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
Oh my name it is nothin' My age it means less The country I come from Is called the Midwest I's taught and brought up there The laws to abide And the land that I live in Has God on its side.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
The 2020 election featured attempted vote rigging and suppression on a gigantic scale.
It's just it didn't affect the result as the Republicans weren't very good at it.
Hence their attempted coup, which they also fortunately weren't very good at.
NYT ($) - Kavanaugh Gave Private Assurances. Collins Says He ‘Misled’ Her. “I am a don’t-rock-the-boat kind of judge,” the justice told the senator in a discussion on Roe, according to notes from a meeting before his confirmation.
During a two-hour meeting in her Senate office with the Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh on Aug. 21, 2018, Senator Susan Collins of Maine pressed him hard on why she should trust him not to overturn Roe v. Wade if she backed his confirmation.
Judge Kavanaugh worked vigorously to reassure her that he was no threat to the landmark abortion rights ruling.
“Start with my record, my respect for precedent, my belief that it is rooted in the Constitution, and my commitment and its importance to the rule of law,” he said, according to contemporaneous notes kept by multiple staff members in the meeting. “I understand precedent and I understand the importance of overturning it.”
SSI - Personally no great fan of Sen. Collins. Do believe she is NOT a habitual liar, however.
In that respect, quite unlike Justice Brent "Sex on the Beach" Kavanaugh.
What a parcel of rogues on the SCOTUS!
This is all horrendous. The whole point of being a judge is that though you bring to it your whole life and experience you don't come to public judgement on any litigable issue until you have heard all sides and considered all the arguments. Not rushing to judgement is exactly what judges are uniquely asked to do.
And lying IS what's expected from your ideal judge? Somehow doubt that.
If that is a serious question, No. Why on earth would anyone expect lying from a judge whether ideal or not?
NYT ($) - Kavanaugh Gave Private Assurances. Collins Says He ‘Misled’ Her. “I am a don’t-rock-the-boat kind of judge,” the justice told the senator in a discussion on Roe, according to notes from a meeting before his confirmation.
During a two-hour meeting in her Senate office with the Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh on Aug. 21, 2018, Senator Susan Collins of Maine pressed him hard on why she should trust him not to overturn Roe v. Wade if she backed his confirmation.
Judge Kavanaugh worked vigorously to reassure her that he was no threat to the landmark abortion rights ruling.
“Start with my record, my respect for precedent, my belief that it is rooted in the Constitution, and my commitment and its importance to the rule of law,” he said, according to contemporaneous notes kept by multiple staff members in the meeting. “I understand precedent and I understand the importance of overturning it.”
SSI - Personally no great fan of Sen. Collins. Do believe she is NOT a habitual liar, however.
In that respect, quite unlike Justice Brent "Sex on the Beach" Kavanaugh.
What a parcel of rogues on the SCOTUS!
I watched the hearings on that guy and could not believe he was being considered for a big important job requiring intellect and maturity.
Was he chosen solely for his hackneyed right wing politics and pliability?
It was rather weird to see those opposed to his nomination obsessed by how he behaved as a student a quarter of a century earlier, rather than on his view of law, precedent, and recent judgements.
For quite good reasons we rarely think about the amazingly high quality of the UK judiciary. This is on public display daily on the excellent
Fresh evidence appeals - always sticky wickets. Scottish law a mystery to me however.
Basically, it was found out after the trial that the complainer had given an affidavit which contradicted significant parts of her evidence. On examination the appeal court decided that the affidavit, sworn under oath, was internally inconsistent and not reliable. But they concluded that for that reason the Jury (who knew nothing of it of course) would simply have disregarded it. And still convicted. Beyond a reasonable doubt. I found it extraordinary.
NYT ($) - Kavanaugh Gave Private Assurances. Collins Says He ‘Misled’ Her. “I am a don’t-rock-the-boat kind of judge,” the justice told the senator in a discussion on Roe, according to notes from a meeting before his confirmation.
During a two-hour meeting in her Senate office with the Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh on Aug. 21, 2018, Senator Susan Collins of Maine pressed him hard on why she should trust him not to overturn Roe v. Wade if she backed his confirmation.
Judge Kavanaugh worked vigorously to reassure her that he was no threat to the landmark abortion rights ruling.
“Start with my record, my respect for precedent, my belief that it is rooted in the Constitution, and my commitment and its importance to the rule of law,” he said, according to contemporaneous notes kept by multiple staff members in the meeting. “I understand precedent and I understand the importance of overturning it.”
SSI - Personally no great fan of Sen. Collins. Do believe she is NOT a habitual liar, however.
In that respect, quite unlike Justice Brent "Sex on the Beach" Kavanaugh.
What a parcel of rogues on the SCOTUS!
This is all horrendous. The whole point of being a judge is that though you bring to it your whole life and experience you don't come to public judgement on any litigable issue until you have heard all sides and considered all the arguments. Not rushing to judgement is exactly what judges are uniquely asked to do.
And lying IS what's expected from your ideal judge? Somehow doubt that.
If that is a serious question, No. Why on earth would anyone expect lying from a judge whether ideal or not?
Pretty good - or rather bad - reasons for number of US Senators who knew better to believe the bilge that Kavanaugh was pumping.
Am giving Susan the benefit of the doubt. In her case problem was more stupidity than hypocrisy . . . I think.
Addendum - one motive for Kavanaugh lying like a rug, was the very fact that his legal credentials were so feeble.
Which was NOT the case with (for example) Amy Coney Barrett or Neil Gorsuch.
Which explains why they didn't stoop to the depths plumbed by Beach Boy Brent.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
The 2020 election featured attempted vote rigging and suppression on a gigantic scale.
It's just it didn't affect the result as the Republicans weren't very good at it.
Hence their attempted coup, which they also fortunately weren't very good at.
While there may be some gerrymandering at play, the Dems biggest problem is that their vote is badly distributed in Wisconsin (as in many other states). They rack up the vote in Milwaukee and Madison, which allows them to win statewide elections but this costs them at elections where the state is split up.
For example, 6 of 8 congressional districts lean republican but the most democratic district is twice as democratic as the most republican district is republican:
Labour have the same problem to an extent. At the last the Cons won nationally by 11 points but there were about a dozen Labour seats safer than the safest Conservative seat.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
Quite so. In any case I disagree with the notion it should all be down to the voters even if there were a perfect electoral system. There are certain human rights that should be enshrined over and above the hurly burly of politics. One of these is the right of a pregnant woman to choose whether she has the baby or not. This is what Roe did. It cemented that right - which is key to women being able to partake fully in society - such that no politician could take it away.
Not an absolute right either. Recognizing the moral complexity of the issue, it protected the basic essential right but subject to controls and prohibitions in middle and later pregnancy, tempered the rights of the woman with those of the unborn child, allowed the states to take differing approaches in practice depending on their slant. It addressed the issue in a balanced sensible way, in exactly the place it should have been addressed - constitutionally, outside the executive, protected by the independent judiciary. To trash it like they have is an abomination.
When the Supreme Court Takes Away a Long-Held Constitutional Right
https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/when-the-supreme-court-takes-away-a-long-held-constitutional-right … The difference between preserving and eliminating a long-held constitutional right involves a crude reality of political machinations and contingency in filling these seats—which makes it galling to read the Court’s righteous condemnation of Roe v. Wade as an exercise of “raw judicial power,” and its self-portrayal as a picture of proper judicial restraint. It is hard to imagine something more like an exercise of raw judicial power than the Court’s removal of the right to abortion, which is precisely what these Justices were put on the Court to achieve. As the dissent put it, the Court is “rescinding an individual right in its entirety and conferring it on the State, an action the Court takes for the first time in history.”…
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
I doubt anyone here has questioned the US Presidential result.
Indeed. So America's a great democracy.
Until the republicans win something. Then its a banana republic.
Your point being?
My point being that America cannot be both a great democracy and banana republic in terms of voting. In reality, it is one or the other.
Unless of course you are a PB regular driven mad by the very idea of Trumpism.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
The 2020 election featured attempted vote rigging and suppression on a gigantic scale.
It's just it didn't affect the result as the Republicans weren't very good at it.
Hence their attempted coup, which they also fortunately weren't very good at.
While there may be some gerrymandering at play, the Dems biggest problem is that their vote is badly distributed in Wisconsin (as in many other states). They rack up the vote in Milwaukee and Madison, which allows them to win statewide elections but this costs them at elections where the state is split up.
For example, 6 of 8 congressional districts lean republican but the most democratic district is twice as democratic as the most republican district is republican:
Labour have the same problem to an extent. At the last the Cons won nationally by 11 points but there were about a dozen Labour seats safer than the safest Conservative seat.
Again, gerrymandering doesn't affect the presidency. Failing to open polling stations and disregarding postal ballots does.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
I doubt anyone here has questioned the US Presidential result.
Indeed. So America's a great democracy.
Until the republicans win something. Then its a banana republic.
For sake of curiosity, what are your views (if any) re: January 6, 2021 assault on US Capitol aimed at overturning the 2020 election?
The tragic farce of Brexit. Firms that can't export, can't grow their workforces. Tax revenues diverted abroad. An economy 4 or 5% smaller than it should be. Fishermen who have lost their main markets. All predictable, all predicted, dismissed as Project Fear, now the undisputed reality.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
I doubt anyone here has questioned the US Presidential result.
Indeed. So America's a great democracy.
Until the republicans win something. Then its a banana republic.
Your point being?
My point being that America cannot be both a great democracy and banana republic in terms of voting. In reality, it is one or the other.
Unless of course you are a PB regular driven mad by the very idea of Trumpism.
You're a bit harsh there. You're not really a regular these days.
Looks as though Russia is trying to provoke a Ukrainian response against Belarus, in order to draw them fully into the war. Pretty sure Ukraine won’t take the bait.
https://twitter.com/olgatokariuk/status/1540619669295566850 A record number of missiles was fired by Russia on Ukraine this night and morning: more than 60, according to the latest figures. Many were launched from the territory of Belarus. They targeted Kyiv, Lviv, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, Khmelnytskyi, Dnipro, Mykolayiv, Kharkiv regions
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
I doubt anyone here has questioned the US Presidential result.
Indeed. So America's a great democracy.
Until the republicans win something. Then its a banana republic.
Your point being?
My point being that America cannot be both a great democracy and banana republic in terms of voting. In reality, it is one or the other.
Unless of course you are a PB regular driven mad by the very idea of Trumpism.
The US is neither a great democracy nor a banana republic. Your introduced both terms.
"[overturning Row is] a victory that will almost certainly come at a cost. In Republican circles, a consensus has been forming for weeks that the court’s overturning of a significant — and highly popular — precedent on a deeply felt issue will be a liability for the party in the midterms and beyond, undercutting Republicans to at least some degree with moderates and suburban women."
One pollster has pointed out that when RvW was central to the Presidential election debate (2000/2004 and 2016), the republicans won.
Not sure "central" is correct, in that other issues were more or equally important in the elections you cite.
Also, back then the shoe was on the other foot. Roe v Wade was the Law of the Land. Thus energy was more on the side of those wishing to repeal than uphold it.
A well funded, internationally successful scientist is accepting offers from academia and industry in order to leave the state of Utah, taking my team of neuroscientists if they chose to leave with me.
I will not endanger my team.
For those asking: Yes, I am serious. Of the 12 people in my lab, 8 are women.
It is incumbent upon us to do what we can to stand up for the safety of the people around us.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
I doubt anyone here has questioned the US Presidential result.
Indeed. So America's a great democracy.
Until the republicans win something. Then its a banana republic.
For sake of curiosity, what are your views (if any) re: January 6, 2021 assault on US Capitol aimed at overturning the 2020 election?
Does that factor into your thesis?
Is America a great democracy or is it a third world banana republic?
Because if its the former you have no right to question the legitimacy of the Wisconsin election. Or the outcome of the 2016 presidential,.
And if its the latter, then anybody has the right to question the outcome of the 2020 presidential.
Many criticise Trump for not accepting 2020, a fair criticism.
But be honest. You don't accept the result of Presidential 2016, or many other elections won by the republicans.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
I doubt anyone here has questioned the US Presidential result.
Indeed. So America's a great democracy.
Until the republicans win something. Then its a banana republic.
For sake of curiosity, what are your views (if any) re: January 6, 2021 assault on US Capitol aimed at overturning the 2020 election?
Does that factor into your thesis?
Is America a great democracy or is it a third world banana republic?
Because if its the former you have no right to question the legitimacy of the Wisconsin election. Or the outcome of the 2016 presidential,.
And if its the latter, then anybody has the right to question the outcome of the 2020 presidential.
Many criticise Trump for not accepting 2020, a fair criticism.
But be honest. You don't accept the result of Presidential 2016, or many other elections won by the republicans.
You are showing impressive debating skills here. No straw man can feel safe with you about.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
I doubt anyone here has questioned the US Presidential result.
Indeed. So America's a great democracy.
Until the republicans win something. Then its a banana republic.
Your point being?
My point being that America cannot be both a great democracy and banana republic in terms of voting. In reality, it is one or the other.
Unless of course you are a PB regular driven mad by the very idea of Trumpism.
The US is neither a great democracy nor a banana republic. Your introduced both terms.
If its neither, then anybody is perfectly within their rights to question any election result there.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
I doubt anyone here has questioned the US Presidential result.
Indeed. So America's a great democracy.
Until the republicans win something. Then its a banana republic.
Your point being?
My point being that America cannot be both a great democracy and banana republic in terms of voting. In reality, it is one or the other.
Unless of course you are a PB regular driven mad by the very idea of Trumpism.
The US is neither a great democracy nor a banana republic. Your introduced both terms.
If its neither, then anybody is perfectly within their rights to question any election result there.
Politico.com - Biden signs gun safety bill, calls SCOTUS abortion ruling 'shocking' “I think the Supreme Court has made some terrible decisions," the president said after the Supreme Court revoked the constitutional right to an abortion.
NYT ($) - Kavanaugh Gave Private Assurances. Collins Says He ‘Misled’ Her. “I am a don’t-rock-the-boat kind of judge,” the justice told the senator in a discussion on Roe, according to notes from a meeting before his confirmation.
During a two-hour meeting in her Senate office with the Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh on Aug. 21, 2018, Senator Susan Collins of Maine pressed him hard on why she should trust him not to overturn Roe v. Wade if she backed his confirmation.
Judge Kavanaugh worked vigorously to reassure her that he was no threat to the landmark abortion rights ruling.
“Start with my record, my respect for precedent, my belief that it is rooted in the Constitution, and my commitment and its importance to the rule of law,” he said, according to contemporaneous notes kept by multiple staff members in the meeting. “I understand precedent and I understand the importance of overturning it.”
SSI - Personally no great fan of Sen. Collins. Do believe she is NOT a habitual liar, however.
In that respect, quite unlike Justice Brent "Sex on the Beach" Kavanaugh.
What a parcel of rogues on the SCOTUS!
I watched the hearings on that guy and could not believe he was being considered for a big important job requiring intellect and maturity.
Was he chosen solely for his hackneyed right wing politics and pliability?
It was rather weird to see those opposed to his nomination obsessed by how he behaved as a student a quarter of a century earlier, rather than on his view of law, precedent, and recent judgements.
For quite good reasons we rarely think about the amazingly high quality of the UK judiciary. This is on public display daily on the excellent
Fresh evidence appeals - always sticky wickets. Scottish law a mystery to me however.
Basically, it was found out after the trial that the complainer had given an affidavit which contradicted significant parts of her evidence. On examination the appeal court decided that the affidavit, sworn under oath, was internally inconsistent and not reliable. But they concluded that for that reason the Jury (who knew nothing of it of course) would simply have disregarded it. And still convicted. Beyond a reasonable doubt. I found it extraordinary.
SFAICS the affidavit was from a separate person, not a complainant, whose evidence could have undermined a complainant's credibility. But it's Saturday afternoon and I may be wrong.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
I doubt anyone here has questioned the US Presidential result.
Indeed. So America's a great democracy.
Until the republicans win something. Then its a banana republic.
For sake of curiosity, what are your views (if any) re: January 6, 2021 assault on US Capitol aimed at overturning the 2020 election?
Does that factor into your thesis?
Is America a great democracy or is it a third world banana republic?
Because if its the former you have no right to question the legitimacy of the Wisconsin election. Or the outcome of the 2016 presidential,.
And if its the latter, then anybody has the right to question the outcome of the 2020 presidential.
Many criticise Trump for not accepting 2020, a fair criticism.
But be honest. You don't accept the result of Presidential 2016, or many other elections won by the republicans.
You are showing impressive debating skills here. No straw man can feel safe with you about.
In a way, it's a shame the democrats use a donkey as a symbol and the Republicans an elephant.
Because the Republicans clearly forget everything inconvenient and at the moment frequently look like asses.
Conservative backbencher: “They are going bloody mental on the WhatsApp group. We didn’t think for one moment that we were going to lose [Tiverton & Honiton]. Voters are lying on the doorstep, like they did in 1997.” https://apple.news/A0HSg-LVZRjCWvulI-qPfHQ
They're pretty stupid if they didn't think there was a good chance they would lose the seat. Nearly everyone on here thought it was a strong possibility.
Not stupid. Dishonest. Pretending it was out of nowhere makes their inaction before acceptable.
"[overturning Row is] a victory that will almost certainly come at a cost. In Republican circles, a consensus has been forming for weeks that the court’s overturning of a significant — and highly popular — precedent on a deeply felt issue will be a liability for the party in the midterms and beyond, undercutting Republicans to at least some degree with moderates and suburban women."
One pollster has pointed out that when RvW was central to the Presidential election debate (2000/2004 and 2016), the republicans won.
Not sure "central" is correct, in that other issues were more or equally important in the elections you cite.
Also, back then the shoe was on the other foot. Roe v Wade was the Law of the Land. Thus energy was more on the side of those wishing to repeal than uphold it.
Oh and my mother's health suddenly deteriorated after the first jab so she's now a shadow of her former self, still keep silent and keep the money flowing in foxy
What is quote comic about the trolling, is that to think that anyone is in the NHS for 'all the free flowing money' is just absurd. Which can only lead me to believe whilst your English is good, you seem to be missing some cultural information from your employers.
As just a casual lurker here who seldom posts, your consist pokes towards Foxy just see so far off base. Foxy posts are always worth reading and they come across as a dedicated medical professional.
Bit surprised there isn't a rate limiting option for new posters, certainly in your case quantity is definitely impacting quality
Cheers, MrB
Always good to see Bristols. 👍🏻
I never realised you were a lady of such refined tastes
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
I doubt anyone here has questioned the US Presidential result.
Indeed. So America's a great democracy.
Until the republicans win something. Then its a banana republic.
For sake of curiosity, what are your views (if any) re: January 6, 2021 assault on US Capitol aimed at overturning the 2020 election?
Does that factor into your thesis?
Is America a great democracy or is it a third world banana republic?
Because if its the former you have no right to question the legitimacy of the Wisconsin election. Or the outcome of the 2016 presidential,.
And if its the latter, then anybody has the right to question the outcome of the 2020 presidential.
Many criticise Trump for not accepting 2020, a fair criticism.
But be honest. You don't accept the result of Presidential 2016, or many other elections won by the republicans.
You are showing impressive debating skills here. No straw man can feel safe with you about.
In a way, it's a shame the democrats use a donkey as a symbol and the Republicans an elephant.
Because the Republicans clearly forget everything inconvenient and at the moment frequently look like asses.
Those states that are banning abortions will have to face their electorates....
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
I doubt anyone here has questioned the US Presidential result.
Indeed. So America's a great democracy.
Until the republicans win something. Then its a banana republic.
For sake of curiosity, what are your views (if any) re: January 6, 2021 assault on US Capitol aimed at overturning the 2020 election?
Does that factor into your thesis?
Is America a great democracy or is it a third world banana republic?
Because if its the former you have no right to question the legitimacy of the Wisconsin election. Or the outcome of the 2016 presidential,.
And if its the latter, then anybody has the right to question the outcome of the 2020 presidential.
Many criticise Trump for not accepting 2020, a fair criticism.
But be honest. You don't accept the result of Presidential 2016, or many other elections won by the republicans.
You are showing impressive debating skills here. No straw man can feel safe with you about.
In a way, it's a shame the democrats use a donkey as a symbol and the Republicans an elephant.
Because the Republicans clearly forget everything inconvenient and at the moment frequently look like asses.
Those states that are banning abortions will have to face their electorates....
Except those that make it difficult for the wrong sort of people to vote, of course.
When the Supreme Court Takes Away a Long-Held Constitutional Right
https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/when-the-supreme-court-takes-away-a-long-held-constitutional-right … The difference between preserving and eliminating a long-held constitutional right involves a crude reality of political machinations and contingency in filling these seats—which makes it galling to read the Court’s righteous condemnation of Roe v. Wade as an exercise of “raw judicial power,” and its self-portrayal as a picture of proper judicial restraint. It is hard to imagine something more like an exercise of raw judicial power than the Court’s removal of the right to abortion, which is precisely what these Justices were put on the Court to achieve. As the dissent put it, the Court is “rescinding an individual right in its entirety and conferring it on the State, an action the Court takes for the first time in history.”…
Not so much political bias as raw politics. Hard to see the 'law' bit at all in the reasoning. Saw a Twitter thing whereby you imagine this is some 3rd world country and how it'd be reported here -
“Impeached Strongman's Unelected Hand-Picked Clerics Launch Offensive Against Women"
Not bad. Certainly better than the Times' take - load of vapid waffling nonsense.
Currently Crna Gora has minority government (a first):
Opposition Boycotts Election of Montenegro’s First Minority Govt Dritan Abazovic became Montenegro's new Prime Minister on Thursday, heading a minority government with a one-year mandate to prepare for early elections next spring [2022].
Montenegro’s parliament on Thursday voted in a new minority government, the first in its history, with a one-year mandate to prepare for next spring’s early elections.
The leader of the Black on White bloc, Dritan Abazovic, was elected Prime Minister by 45 votes in the 81-seat chamber, supported by his own coalition, the pro-Serbian Socialist People’s Party and the former opposition Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS, the Social Democratic Party, the Bosniak Party and two ethnic Albanian coalitions.
The opposition Social Democrats voted against electing the government, while the two largest opposition blocs, For the Future of Montenegro and Peace is Our Nation, which dominated the last government, boycotted the vote. . . .
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
I doubt anyone here has questioned the US Presidential result.
Indeed. So America's a great democracy.
Until the republicans win something. Then its a banana republic.
For sake of curiosity, what are your views (if any) re: January 6, 2021 assault on US Capitol aimed at overturning the 2020 election?
Does that factor into your thesis?
Is America a great democracy or is it a third world banana republic?
Because if its the former you have no right to question the legitimacy of the Wisconsin election. Or the outcome of the 2016 presidential,.
And if its the latter, then anybody has the right to question the outcome of the 2020 presidential.
Many criticise Trump for not accepting 2020, a fair criticism.
But be honest. You don't accept the result of Presidential 2016, or many other elections won by the republicans.
You are showing impressive debating skills here. No straw man can feel safe with you about.
Indeed. The continued attempts at equivalence between grumbling and a very few more than that with dozens of spurious legal challenges and concerted political effort to overturn and instigating a mob, just doesnt work.
The tragic farce of Brexit. Firms that can't export, can't grow their workforces. Tax revenues diverted abroad. An economy 4 or 5% smaller than it should be. Fishermen who have lost their main markets. All predictable, all predicted, dismissed as Project Fear, now the undisputed reality.
Hmmm. I couldn't get to the end of that - just too depressing - though interesting to note that my own employer does that same thing with the Netherlands proxy mentioned early on. So how much tax is the Exchequer losing when all that's totalled up? But one glimmer of light: Richard Tice says it's all Boris fault, so when he (eventually) departs the Brexit bonanzas will start rolling in!
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
I doubt anyone here has questioned the US Presidential result.
Indeed. So America's a great democracy.
Until the republicans win something. Then its a banana republic.
For sake of curiosity, what are your views (if any) re: January 6, 2021 assault on US Capitol aimed at overturning the 2020 election?
Does that factor into your thesis?
Is America a great democracy or is it a third world banana republic?
Because if its the former you have no right to question the legitimacy of the Wisconsin election. Or the outcome of the 2016 presidential,.
And if its the latter, then anybody has the right to question the outcome of the 2020 presidential.
Many criticise Trump for not accepting 2020, a fair criticism.
But be honest. You don't accept the result of Presidential 2016, or many other elections won by the republicans.
You are showing impressive debating skills here. No straw man can feel safe with you about.
In a way, it's a shame the democrats use a donkey as a symbol and the Republicans an elephant.
Because the Republicans clearly forget everything inconvenient and at the moment frequently look like asses.
Those states that are banning abortions will have to face their electorates....
So 'no track record' is an effing stupid thing to say in this context. Now, you might be correct if you say that Britain is uniquely incapable of replicating that success; that we are exceptionally poor. But the 'no track record in UAS' is a very poor argument.
Spirit used to be the panel beating department of Bombardier before Airbus fucked them. They have no background, expertise or capability in whole airframe design, avionics integration or RPAS. It was never a sound choice on any grounds other than trying to hold the fraying union together.
I have partial sympathy for the government not wanting to award to BAE who previously ran a UAS program from 2005 to 2015 that cost £200m and produced one aircraft that flew four times.
Muscling in on the MQ-28 program was the obvious move, even two years ago, but I don't think the MoD could psychologically handle being the junior partner to Australia.
Wouldn’t it be easier to licence the technology from Bayraktar, and use that as a starting point?
Are Bayraktar drones technologically advanced, or are they simply effective and reliable?
Having a lot of cheaper drones might well be better than having fewer more sophisticated ones. I do think it's worth the government encouraging a broad range of developments in this area though.
They’re not state-of-the-art technologically, but are small enough to be a pain in the arse to find with radar, whilst being big enough to carry a payload sufficient to take out an enemy tank.
There’s definitely a case for making a variety of sizes of drone, but all based on a similar control platform.
As always with defence procurement, there’s way too much re-inventing of the wheel.
I'm a bit of a fan of wheel-reinvention! Different teams will learn different things in the process. You can of course go too far, but having essentially just one defence contractor is not a good thing.
Yes and no. It’s good to have multiple contractors and capabilities, but governments also need to get away from seeing defence procurement as primarily a job creation programme.
I suspect that giving a drone project to the technology division of an F1 team, as suggested upthread, would lead to the sort of embarrassment to the establishment that we have seen with SpaceX in the US.
Many years ago I visted the RAF museum at Cosford. There were (and I imagine are) an incredible variety of odd projects. A good number of companies were involved.
Anyway all of those companies were busy trying to outdo one another in terms of inventiveness, and that yielded results - Harrier, Concorde, and what should and would have been the great TSR2.
I think we would be better off if our defence procurement cast a much wider net.
The issue with that, is the technical complexity and costs of development are orders of magnitude higher for modern systems, compared to a few decades ago.
It would indeed be good to cast the net wider, but there’s no longer the budget to ask three companies to design a prototype aircraft, and then selecting one for production - which is where the collection at Cosford originated.
Why are the costs so much higher? Personally I think it's because there's no competition. Some of the materials needed are hard and expensive to work with, but that just tells me we need more consumers.
There are various 'kinds' of costs that make projects like this hard to value. Take the Space Shuttle: how much did it cost per flight? There are loads of different costings out there, depending on things like whether development costs are included. Then there are program costs: how much it costs to sustain the systems. Actual 'Flight' costs; the cost of each flight in terms of manpower and fuel, might be relatively low. But there were many non-flight costs, such as maintaining facilities and support equipment.
There were originally going to be 132 B2 Spirit planes built (the US stealth bomber). That was reduced to 75, and then in 1992 down to 20. All the development costs of the plane are split between fewer airframes, meaning that costings that include dev costs inflate massively. In the end the B2 project may end up costing $2 billion per airframe.
Basically: the fewer of something you end up making, the greater the cost of the project per unit if you include dev costs.
Everybody but everybody thinks these projects were wildly baggy though.
If the military had commissioned the iPhone it'd be a million dollars a pop. Actually much more.
Because they'd only make five of them, and use bespoke parts.
They'd also bin their processors much more stringently than any consumer project. (Kerching to the fabs!)
There's also the problem that if you're only making a handful of things, you really don't want them to fail. In consumer electronics, a return rate of 1% (defects) was not uncommon twenty years ago for cheap stuff -though I believe it has improved since.
In other words, 1% of units would fail within warranty. But as they're cheap as chips, it didn't matter much.
If you are only making 10 of something, as opposed to two million, then you cannot afford outright failures. This means you spend much, much more on trying to make certain that the thing you produce works. Costs escalate as you try to get components to 99.999999999% reliability. And you need systems to detect potential failures, and redundancy to protect against them. And rigorous test and maintenance of components whilst in use.
This is understandable for crewed systems: you do not want to lose people. But does it matter as much for unmanned systems? If the system is much cheaper, and you have more of them, the loss of one does not hurt as much. This then becomes a virtuous cycle: the more you make of them, the cheaper you can make the design.
And the more you make, the more you learn about the design on how to make it more reliable and cheaper.
The design and build of military aerospace vehicles resembles to an enormous degree that for space vehicles.
The fact that the entire space launch market has, fairly recently been dynamited by an entrant who has reduced costs to the point of pricing lower than *anyone* else, is carefully ignored. In the space industry* in particular, but the wider aerospace industry is defiant in its rejection of the possibility that the same is possible there.
*You still have industry leaders claiming that they can’t do it because … {crickets}
Oh and my mother's health suddenly deteriorated after the first jab so she's now a shadow of her former self, still keep silent and keep the money flowing in foxy
What is quote comic about the trolling, is that to think that anyone is in the NHS for 'all the free flowing money' is just absurd. Which can only lead me to believe whilst your English is good, you seem to be missing some cultural information from your employers.
As just a casual lurker here who seldom posts, your consist pokes towards Foxy just see so far off base. Foxy posts are always worth reading and they come across as a dedicated medical professional.
Bit surprised there isn't a rate limiting option for new posters, certainly in your case quantity is definitely impacting quality
Cheers, MrB
Always good to see Bristols. 👍🏻
I never realised you were a lady of such refined tastes
(A friend of mine has a Beaufighter car. So when he told me about taking it home and working on it, I got very confused because I knew he didn't have a hangar.)
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
I doubt anyone here has questioned the US Presidential result.
Indeed. So America's a great democracy.
Until the republicans win something. Then its a banana republic.
For sake of curiosity, what are your views (if any) re: January 6, 2021 assault on US Capitol aimed at overturning the 2020 election?
Does that factor into your thesis?
Is America a great democracy or is it a third world banana republic?
Because if its the former you have no right to question the legitimacy of the Wisconsin election. Or the outcome of the 2016 presidential,.
And if its the latter, then anybody has the right to question the outcome of the 2020 presidential.
Many criticise Trump for not accepting 2020, a fair criticism.
But be honest. You don't accept the result of Presidential 2016, or many other elections won by the republicans.
You are showing impressive debating skills here. No straw man can feel safe with you about.
Indeed. The continued attempts at equivalence between grumbling and a very few more than that with dozens of spurious legal challenges and concerted political effort to overturn and instigating a mob, just doesnt work.
What's more disturbing is that they think it does.
I mean, are they really *that* deluded? Because if so in the medium term American democracy is finished anyway. The Republicans will never accept any result that doesn't suit them while shouting 'look, squirrel.'
Perhaps they should rather be pondering why they have only once won the popular vote since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and then only by a wafer thin margin.*
That's why they keep losing. Not some mythical deep state issue.
*it should be noted that many Democrats threw around accusations of ballot rigging in key states in 2004 and with hindsight rather foolishly described how it could be done, but Kerry made no effort to overturn the result.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
I doubt anyone here has questioned the US Presidential result.
Indeed. So America's a great democracy.
Until the republicans win something. Then its a banana republic.
For sake of curiosity, what are your views (if any) re: January 6, 2021 assault on US Capitol aimed at overturning the 2020 election?
Does that factor into your thesis?
Is America a great democracy or is it a third world banana republic?
Because if its the former you have no right to question the legitimacy of the Wisconsin election. Or the outcome of the 2016 presidential,.
And if its the latter, then anybody has the right to question the outcome of the 2020 presidential.
Many criticise Trump for not accepting 2020, a fair criticism.
But be honest. You don't accept the result of Presidential 2016, or many other elections won by the republicans.
Your position is that it must be either perfect and beyond criticism, or worthless and beyond saving?
Disagree with the core stance there. A flawed democracy that is being eroded by deliberate action does not fall under either of the false binary options you give, but resembles the position on the ground far more.
We can criticise gerrymandering to silence the majority view, whilst also condemning anti-democratic coup attempts. It’s difficult to see how that can be denied, other than assiduous attempts to somehow define it away.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
I doubt anyone here has questioned the US Presidential result.
Indeed. So America's a great democracy.
Until the republicans win something. Then its a banana republic.
For sake of curiosity, what are your views (if any) re: January 6, 2021 assault on US Capitol aimed at overturning the 2020 election?
Does that factor into your thesis?
Is America a great democracy or is it a third world banana republic?
Because if its the former you have no right to question the legitimacy of the Wisconsin election. Or the outcome of the 2016 presidential,.
And if its the latter, then anybody has the right to question the outcome of the 2020 presidential.
Many criticise Trump for not accepting 2020, a fair criticism.
But be honest. You don't accept the result of Presidential 2016, or many other elections won by the republicans.
Not sure what you mean by "question" exactly (or inexactly). In general.
Nothing wrong with questioning anything, esp. in the midst of a close election count. OR pointing out that Trump was elected with fewer popular votes.
LOT different from trying to throw out the popular votes of entire states to achieve desired result.
As for Wisconsin, are you referring to the recall effort(s)?
Again, laws of the great Badger State provide for recall of just about all elected state & local officials.
Personally thought the recall campaign was a strategic (or is it tactical?) err by Wisconsin Democrats & labor unions. Cause I figured (correctly) they was nearly all fail. But zero reason to equate this with trying to overturn the Constitution.
BTW, you have NOT answered MY question? Though you've NOT done any kavanaughing!
"[overturning Row is] a victory that will almost certainly come at a cost. In Republican circles, a consensus has been forming for weeks that the court’s overturning of a significant — and highly popular — precedent on a deeply felt issue will be a liability for the party in the midterms and beyond, undercutting Republicans to at least some degree with moderates and suburban women."
One pollster has pointed out that when RvW was central to the Presidential election debate (2000/2004 and 2016), the republicans won.
Not sure "central" is correct, in that other issues were more or equally important in the elections you cite.
Also, back then the shoe was on the other foot. Roe v Wade was the Law of the Land. Thus energy was more on the side of those wishing to repeal than uphold it.
But now the worm has turned.
Fair point.
Really is an open question, to what degree the repeal of Roe v Wade will persuade likely voters OR turn out less-likely ones? AND to what extent this will be to the net benefit of one side or the other?
Right now conventional wisdom re: both Democratic AND Republican wise guys, is that the Ds will do better on this front.
Currently Crna Gora has minority government (a first):
Opposition Boycotts Election of Montenegro’s First Minority Govt Dritan Abazovic became Montenegro's new Prime Minister on Thursday, heading a minority government with a one-year mandate to prepare for early elections next spring [2022].
Montenegro’s parliament on Thursday voted in a new minority government, the first in its history, with a one-year mandate to prepare for next spring’s early elections.
The leader of the Black on White bloc, Dritan Abazovic, was elected Prime Minister by 45 votes in the 81-seat chamber, supported by his own coalition, the pro-Serbian Socialist People’s Party and the former opposition Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS, the Social Democratic Party, the Bosniak Party and two ethnic Albanian coalitions.
The opposition Social Democrats voted against electing the government, while the two largest opposition blocs, For the Future of Montenegro and Peace is Our Nation, which dominated the last government, boycotted the vote. . . .
The most famous (at least in the west) Montenegrin, Nero Wolfe, doesn't exist. Is this a record?
I was against gerrymandering in the United States before it was cool to be against it. I opposed it when it was (mostly) done by Democrats, for the same reason I oppose it now, when it is done by both parties.
When did Republicans get the chance to get in on the act in a big way? After the 2010 election, where they swept into power in so many states. (Considering the results of the 1994 and 2010 elections, I think one can say that the two politicians who have done the most for Republicans in recent decades are . . . . Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.)
For those who need examples of current Democratic gerrymandering attempts, do a search on New York or Maryland House seats.
It is correct to say that the concentration of Democrats in large cities does give Republicans a natural advantage. Democrats could lessen that by paying more attention to the problems of rural and exurban areas, rather than neglecting them as they have been for years.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
I doubt anyone here has questioned the US Presidential result.
Indeed. So America's a great democracy.
Until the republicans win something. Then its a banana republic.
For sake of curiosity, what are your views (if any) re: January 6, 2021 assault on US Capitol aimed at overturning the 2020 election?
Does that factor into your thesis?
Is America a great democracy or is it a third world banana republic?
Because if its the former you have no right to question the legitimacy of the Wisconsin election. Or the outcome of the 2016 presidential,.
And if its the latter, then anybody has the right to question the outcome of the 2020 presidential.
Many criticise Trump for not accepting 2020, a fair criticism.
But be honest. You don't accept the result of Presidential 2016, or many other elections won by the republicans.
You are showing impressive debating skills here. No straw man can feel safe with you about.
Indeed. The continued attempts at equivalence between grumbling and a very few more than that with dozens of spurious legal challenges and concerted political effort to overturn and instigating a mob, just doesnt work.
Yep, a par excellence example of our old 'pal/mate/chum', the kryptonite of good faith debate and punditry, False Equivalence. It's a technique beloved of the Right. And if you call them for it - False Equivalence - they just bat it off and claim the Left do it *exactly* as much as the Right.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
I doubt anyone here has questioned the US Presidential result.
Indeed. So America's a great democracy.
Until the republicans win something. Then its a banana republic.
For sake of curiosity, what are your views (if any) re: January 6, 2021 assault on US Capitol aimed at overturning the 2020 election?
Does that factor into your thesis?
Is America a great democracy or is it a third world banana republic?
Because if its the former you have no right to question the legitimacy of the Wisconsin election. Or the outcome of the 2016 presidential,.
And if its the latter, then anybody has the right to question the outcome of the 2020 presidential.
Many criticise Trump for not accepting 2020, a fair criticism.
But be honest. You don't accept the result of Presidential 2016, or many other elections won by the republicans.
You are showing impressive debating skills here. No straw man can feel safe with you about.
Indeed. The continued attempts at equivalence between grumbling and a very few more than that with dozens of spurious legal challenges and concerted political effort to overturn and instigating a mob, just doesnt work.
What's more disturbing is that they think it does.
I mean, are they really *that* deluded? Because if so in the medium term American democracy is finished anyway. The Republicans will never accept any result that doesn't suit them while shouting 'look, squirrel.'
Perhaps they should rather be pondering why they have only once won the popular vote since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and then only by a wafer thin margin.*
That's why they keep losing. Not some mythical deep state issue.
*it should be noted that many Democrats threw around accusations of ballot rigging in key states in 2004 and with hindsight rather foolishly described how it could be done, but Kerry made no effort to overturn the result.
Mostly because they don't need to win the popular vote...
I was against gerrymandering in the United States before it was cool to be against it. I opposed it when it was (mostly) done by Democrats, for the same reason I oppose it now, when it is done by both parties.
When did Republicans get the chance to get in on the act in a big way? After the 2010 election, where they swept into power in so many states. (Considering the results of the 1994 and 2010 elections, I think one can say that the two politicians who have done the most for Republicans in recent decades are . . . . Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.)
For those who need examples of current Democratic gerrymandering attempts, do a search on New York or Maryland House seats.
It is correct to say that the concentration of Democrats in large cities does give Republicans a natural advantage. Democrats could lessen that by paying more attention to the problems of rural and exurban areas, rather than neglecting them as they have been for years.
GOP gerrymandering apologists love to say "What about Maryland??!?" in response to thr many many grotesque examples of Republican gerrymandering so I went and checked.
For the equivalent state body in Maryland the Dems got 99 out of 141 seats on 65% of the vote. So 70% of the seats on a winning margin of 33 points.
Which seems pretty fair to me.
New York Congressional Seats: in 2020 the GOP got 30% of the seats on 36% of the vote. If the Dems were gerrymandering then they were pretty shit at it.
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
GOP gerrymandering apologists love to say "What about Maryland??!?" in response to thr many many grotesque examples of Republican gerrymandering so I went and checked.
For the equivalent state body in Maryland the Dems got 99 out of 141 seats on 65% of the vote. So 70% of the seats on a winning margin of 33 points.
Which seems pretty fair to me.
Hey that sounds like False Equivalence from them there GOP apologists!
NYT ($) - Kavanaugh Gave Private Assurances. Collins Says He ‘Misled’ Her. “I am a don’t-rock-the-boat kind of judge,” the justice told the senator in a discussion on Roe, according to notes from a meeting before his confirmation.
During a two-hour meeting in her Senate office with the Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh on Aug. 21, 2018, Senator Susan Collins of Maine pressed him hard on why she should trust him not to overturn Roe v. Wade if she backed his confirmation.
Judge Kavanaugh worked vigorously to reassure her that he was no threat to the landmark abortion rights ruling.
“Start with my record, my respect for precedent, my belief that it is rooted in the Constitution, and my commitment and its importance to the rule of law,” he said, according to contemporaneous notes kept by multiple staff members in the meeting. “I understand precedent and I understand the importance of overturning it.”
SSI - Personally no great fan of Sen. Collins. Do believe she is NOT a habitual liar, however.
In that respect, quite unlike Justice Brent "Sex on the Beach" Kavanaugh.
What a parcel of rogues on the SCOTUS!
I watched the hearings on that guy and could not believe he was being considered for a big important job requiring intellect and maturity.
Was he chosen solely for his hackneyed right wing politics and pliability?
QTWTAIY, hell yes.
Much rather have you on the Court, David, tory and all. Green card?
Oh and my mother's health suddenly deteriorated after the first jab so she's now a shadow of her former self, still keep silent and keep the money flowing in foxy
What is quote comic about the trolling, is that to think that anyone is in the NHS for 'all the free flowing money' is just absurd. Which can only lead me to believe whilst your English is good, you seem to be missing some cultural information from your employers.
As just a casual lurker here who seldom posts, your consist pokes towards Foxy just see so far off base. Foxy posts are always worth reading and they come across as a dedicated medical professional.
Bit surprised there isn't a rate limiting option for new posters, certainly in your case quantity is definitely impacting quality
Cheers, MrB
Always good to see Bristols. 👍🏻
I never realised you were a lady of such refined tastes
(A friend of mine has a Beaufighter car. So when he told me about taking it home and working on it, I got very confused because I knew he didn't have a hangar.)
Not really the bristols I was taking a punning jump at, says so much about the site I suppose 🥹
"Would you like to see Supreme Court overturn its RoeVsWade decision or not?"
All Americans Yes 32% No 50%"
This from the Economist and YouGov.
The SC has handed the matter to the voters, just as in the UK. On those figures it shouldn't be too hard for Americans to sort the matter in a sensible liberal direction if they bother to vote. if they don't bother to vote for what they want they can't object.
I refer you to this comment from @Alistair this morning, and this isn't the only state like this.
In the Wisconsin state Assembly election in 2018 the Dems got 53% of the vote to 45% for the GOP.
A margin of 8 points.
There are 99 seats in the Assembly - the GOP won 63 of them for a 27 seat majority. Despite being 8 points behind. As of 2018 It was estimated that the Dems would need to win statewide by 14 points to get a bare majority of 1 seat (my own calculation has it needing to be higher but I defer to the experts on this). The districts have been further gerrymandered since then making the 2022 figure they need to hit some absurd target.
How the hell is that a democracy? It's closer to what South Africa had during apartheid.
Simple answer is that it isn't, really.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
PB regulars when Republicans win
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
Comments
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/25/the-dog-that-caught-the-car-republicans-brace-for-the-impact-of-reversing-roe-00042387
"We must know what a Secretary of State is, before we can tell whether he is within the stat. 24 Geo. 2, c. 44. He is.."
(https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/KB/1765/J98.html)
Please explain.
Regardless of your politics, I would point out he has just done so.
Which means the claims were, in fact, not bullshit.
Saying nothing but jeez.....
https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/jen-stout/
The GOP have just delivered on a 40 year campaign. This has been a multi-generational effort to get here. They are the winning team. American voters love winners - they have utterly invigorated their base who now see the clear prizes of rolling back LGBT rights and other things within their grasp.
And although neither US party has clean hands, the Republicans are far worse.
But if power becomes your God, what do you expect to happen?
Thought I recognised them from some of their tv work.
As for Beachboy Brent, precisely the kind of prevarication you'd expect from a creep of his caliber.
Unfair election! it was Russia/Gerrymandering what won it! what a banana republic blah blah
PB regulars when Democrats win
Free and fair election! Suck it up Trump! what a bastion of democracy blah blah
Hence Greenwood Auto Show. Helps that all the cars are parked on Greenwood Ave N.
For the equivalent state body in Maryland the Dems got 99 out of 141 seats on 65% of the vote. So 70% of the seats on a winning margin of 33 points.
Which seems pretty fair to me.
One pollster has pointed out that when RvW was central to the Presidential election debate (2000/2004 and 2016), the republicans won.
Until the republicans win something. Then its a banana republic.
Like appointing Eddie Haskell to the Court . . . only worse.
source: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/american-wedding-saved-on-isle-of-skye-thanks-to-locals/
https://twitter.com/MonicaBPotts/status/1540687920851521536
My age it means less
The country I come from
Is called the Midwest
I's taught and brought up there
The laws to abide
And the land that I live in
Has God on its side.
It's just it didn't affect the result as the Republicans weren't very good at it.
Hence their attempted coup, which they also fortunately weren't very good at.
Albeit one that the Men of Utah may not appreciate.
So double result.
Am giving Susan the benefit of the doubt. In her case problem was more stupidity than hypocrisy . . . I think.
Addendum - one motive for Kavanaugh lying like a rug, was the very fact that his legal credentials were so feeble.
Which was NOT the case with (for example) Amy Coney Barrett or Neil Gorsuch.
Which explains why they didn't stoop to the depths plumbed by Beach Boy Brent.
For example, 6 of 8 congressional districts lean republican but the most democratic district is twice as democratic as the most republican district is republican:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin's_congressional_districts
Labour have the same problem to an extent. At the last the Cons won nationally by 11 points but there were about a dozen Labour seats safer than the safest Conservative seat.
Not an absolute right either. Recognizing the moral complexity of the issue, it protected the basic essential right but subject to controls and prohibitions in middle and later pregnancy, tempered the rights of the woman with those of the unborn child, allowed the states to take differing approaches in practice depending on their slant. It addressed the issue in a balanced sensible way, in exactly the place it should have been addressed - constitutionally, outside the executive, protected by the independent judiciary. To trash it like they have is an abomination.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/when-the-supreme-court-takes-away-a-long-held-constitutional-right
… The difference between preserving and eliminating a long-held constitutional right involves a crude reality of political machinations and contingency in filling these seats—which makes it galling to read the Court’s righteous condemnation of Roe v. Wade as an exercise of “raw judicial power,” and its self-portrayal as a picture of proper judicial restraint. It is hard to imagine something more like an exercise of raw judicial power than the Court’s removal of the right to abortion, which is precisely what these Justices were put on the Court to achieve. As the dissent put it, the Court is “rescinding an individual right in its entirety and conferring it on the State, an action the Court takes for the first time in history.”…
Unless of course you are a PB regular driven mad by the very idea of Trumpism.
Does that factor into your thesis?
The tragic farce of Brexit. Firms that can't export, can't grow their workforces. Tax revenues diverted abroad. An economy 4 or 5% smaller than it should be. Fishermen who have lost their main markets. All predictable, all predicted, dismissed as Project Fear, now the undisputed reality.
Pretty sure Ukraine won’t take the bait.
https://twitter.com/olgatokariuk/status/1540619669295566850
A record number of missiles was fired by Russia on Ukraine this night and morning: more than 60, according to the latest figures. Many were launched from the territory of Belarus. They targeted Kyiv, Lviv, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, Khmelnytskyi, Dnipro, Mykolayiv, Kharkiv regions
Also, back then the shoe was on the other foot. Roe v Wade was the Law of the Land. Thus energy was more on the side of those wishing to repeal than uphold it.
But now the worm has turned.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBSqQPP4aVM
The Skye Boat Song - Ella Roberts
Hope they played this song at the wedding!
https://twitter.com/BWJones/status/1540491567336751105
As of tomorrow, I am on the open market.
A well funded, internationally successful scientist is accepting offers from academia and industry in order to leave the state of Utah, taking my team of neuroscientists if they chose to leave with me.
I will not endanger my team.
For those asking: Yes, I am serious. Of the 12 people in my lab, 8 are women.
It is incumbent upon us to do what we can to stand up for the safety of the people around us.
This legislation makes people less safe.
Because if its the former you have no right to question the legitimacy of the Wisconsin election. Or the outcome of the 2016 presidential,.
And if its the latter, then anybody has the right to question the outcome of the 2020 presidential.
Many criticise Trump for not accepting 2020, a fair criticism.
But be honest. You don't accept the result of Presidential 2016, or many other elections won by the republicans.
“I think the Supreme Court has made some terrible decisions," the president said after the Supreme Court revoked the constitutional right to an abortion.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/25/biden-signs-gun-safety-measure-calls-scotus-ruling-shocking-00042409
SSI - Repeal of Roe v Wade is shocking but hardly surprising.
Passage of federal gun control measure - no matter how watered down - is both.
As an optimist, am dwelling right now on the later, not the former.
Because the Republicans clearly forget everything inconvenient and at the moment frequently look like asses.
“Impeached Strongman's Unelected Hand-Picked Clerics Launch Offensive Against Women"
Not bad. Certainly better than the Times' take - load of vapid waffling nonsense.
https://balkaninsight.com/montenegro-home/
Currently Crna Gora has minority government (a first):
Opposition Boycotts Election of Montenegro’s First Minority Govt
Dritan Abazovic became Montenegro's new Prime Minister on Thursday, heading a minority government with a one-year mandate to prepare for early elections next spring [2022].
https://balkaninsight.com/2022/04/28/opposition-boycotts-election-of-montenegros-first-minority-govt/
Montenegro’s parliament on Thursday voted in a new minority government, the first in its history, with a one-year mandate to prepare for next spring’s early elections.
The leader of the Black on White bloc, Dritan Abazovic, was elected Prime Minister by 45 votes in the 81-seat chamber, supported by his own coalition, the pro-Serbian Socialist People’s Party and the former opposition Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS, the Social Democratic Party, the Bosniak Party and two ethnic Albanian coalitions.
The opposition Social Democrats voted against electing the government, while the two largest opposition blocs, For the Future of Montenegro and Peace is Our Nation, which dominated the last government, boycotted the vote. . . .
The fact that the entire space launch market has, fairly recently been dynamited by an entrant who has reduced costs to the point of pricing lower than *anyone* else, is carefully ignored. In the space industry* in particular, but the wider aerospace industry is defiant in its rejection of the possibility that the same is possible there.
*You still have industry leaders claiming that they can’t do it because … {crickets}
https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/registration/A8-328
(A friend of mine has a Beaufighter car. So when he told me about taking it home and working on it, I got very confused because I knew he didn't have a hangar.)
I mean, are they really *that* deluded? Because if so in the medium term American democracy is finished anyway. The Republicans will never accept any result that doesn't suit them while shouting 'look, squirrel.'
Perhaps they should rather be pondering why they have only once won the popular vote since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and then only by a wafer thin margin.*
That's why they keep losing. Not some mythical deep state issue.
*it should be noted that many Democrats threw around accusations of ballot rigging in key states in 2004 and with hindsight rather foolishly described how it could be done, but Kerry made no effort to overturn the result.
Disagree with the core stance there.
A flawed democracy that is being eroded by deliberate action does not fall under either of the false binary options you give, but resembles the position on the ground far more.
We can criticise gerrymandering to silence the majority view, whilst also condemning anti-democratic coup attempts. It’s difficult to see how that can be denied, other than assiduous attempts to somehow define it away.
Nothing wrong with questioning anything, esp. in the midst of a close election count. OR pointing out that Trump was elected with fewer popular votes.
LOT different from trying to throw out the popular votes of entire states to achieve desired result.
As for Wisconsin, are you referring to the recall effort(s)?
Again, laws of the great Badger State provide for recall of just about all elected state & local officials.
Personally thought the recall campaign was a strategic (or is it tactical?) err by Wisconsin Democrats & labor unions. Cause I figured (correctly) they was nearly all fail. But zero reason to equate this with trying to overturn the Constitution.
BTW, you have NOT answered MY question? Though you've NOT done any kavanaughing!
Right now conventional wisdom re: both Democratic AND Republican wise guys, is that the Ds will do better on this front.
BUT so far that's just a theory.
When did Republicans get the chance to get in on the act in a big way? After the 2010 election, where they swept into power in so many states. (Considering the results of the 1994 and 2010 elections, I think one can say that the two politicians who have done the most for Republicans in recent decades are . . . . Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.)
For those who need examples of current Democratic gerrymandering attempts, do a search on New York or Maryland House seats.
It is correct to say that the concentration of Democrats in large cities does give Republicans a natural advantage. Democrats could lessen that by paying more attention to the problems of rural and exurban areas, rather than neglecting them as they have been for years.
(And, if you want data, the Princeton Gerrymandering project has it: https://gerrymander.princeton.edu/ )
Head wall, head wall, head wall.
https://vf.politicalbetting.com/discussion/comment/3984607/#Comment_3984607
GOP gerrymandering apologists love to say "What about Maryland??!?" in response to thr many many grotesque examples of Republican gerrymandering so I went and checked.
For the equivalent state body in Maryland the Dems got 99 out of 141 seats on 65% of the vote. So 70% of the seats on a winning margin of 33 points.
Which seems pretty fair to me.
New York Congressional Seats: in 2020 the GOP got 30% of the seats on 36% of the vote. If the Dems were gerrymandering then they were pretty shit at it.
Trump 47%